Mishustin allowed the introduction of mandatory deductions for the use of foreign software

The government is considering an initiative to introduce mandatory contributions for companies that use foreign software. This was announced by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin at the conference “Digital Industry of Industrial Russia” (CIPR).

“We are considering an initiative that introduces mandatory deductions for organizations for the use of foreign software – until the transition to domestic solutions,” he explained (quote according to TASS).

Mishustin added that half of this amount can be directed to grant support for Russian IT companies. The second part will go to the formation of collateral for their preferential lending, he said.

According to the prime minister, there is now an increase in demand for Russian software in industry. In 2022, the demand for domestic software products increased by 10-12 times, he said. There are more than 22,000 IT companies developing software in Russia. The number of programmers in the country exceeds 740,000, the Prime Minister added. According to him, the volume of the market for domestic solutions and services is 2.2 trillion rubles.

In mid-May, Vedomosti, citing sources wrotethat the Ministry of Digital Development is developing an updated version of the draft law on compulsory licensing of foreign software. According to the initiative, domestic companies will be able to continue legally using foreign software by transferring funds to a special account, part of the funds from which will be spent on financing preferential IT loans for developers.